Newsletter: Fighting Exploitation and Reducing Harm
Knowledge is Still the Best Weapon
Last week, I did a Substack Live for The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali on “How to Deprogram the Cult of MAGA,” and this week, I will be doing a livestream this Friday, January 6th at 3:30 Eastern Time with the hilarious Instagram sensation Adam of Epistemiccrisis (expertly tracking Trump’s health decline). He recently shared and commented on one of my posts on Instagram about Trump’s alleged gonorrhea.
The ICE murders in Minnesota of Nicole Good and Alex Pretti are heartbreaking. Massive demonstrations have been taking place around the country and the world, often in the bitter cold. Bruce Springsteen wrote a song. Poet laureate Amanda Gorman wrote a poem. More and more celebrities are speaking out, especially at the Grammys. Trump threatened to sue. Ha!
I’m excited to share that my interview with Anthony Davis on the Weekend Show, “Trump CULT EXPERT Reveals His TACTICS!!,” is now available on the MeidasTouch YouTube channel. We discuss how Donald Trump’s dictatorship has affected our minds, the collective sadness we feel at ICE violence and official gaslighting, and what we can do to improve our anxiety about the collapse of democracy under the Trump regime. I’m sure you’ll want to listen in!
Since the internet, I’ve realized that the “I” in my BITE Model of Authoritarian Control™ (control of information) is one of its most important facets. Keeping people from information, spreading disinformation, and convincing people to disregard valuable sources of information are significant parts of undue influence. There is a reason the term is “informed consent”: If you are properly informed, you have a real choice. Without truthful information, there can be no free choice.
One classic technique many cults use to control information is by falsely framing any legal recourse against them for their abuses as “religious persecution.” My own former cult, the Moonies, and cult apologists are using this tactic again. I wrote an opinion piece for the Korea Times about Hak Ja Han (Mrs. Moon), who was in jail for bribery and corruption, titled “Accountability, Not Religious Persecution.” I described how they, along with other groups, are clouding the narrative with disinformation to maintain control over their members and the public.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Financial Exploitation
Another method of control is framing financial abuse as “giving to the cause.” Many high-control groups use a combination of information and emotional control to con their elderly members out of their life savings. In this week’s post for paid subscribers, “How the Jehovah’s Witnesses Get You to Sign Over Your Will,” I share the stories of Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been manipulated into giving their retirement funds and real estate to the cult.
In this article, I explore:
The organization’s long history of false prophetic deadlines for Armageddon
How education is discouraged, while donations are encouraged
The “hard sell” techniques inside a JW brochure
How the organization regularly sidesteps the courts
The financial exploitation of elderly Witnesses
How shunning isolates members from natural family heirs
It’s a heartbreaking story, but one that needs to be told and shared.
If you aren’t a paid subscriber, now is an excellent time to become one. Paid subscribers receive quality content like this every week and can access my complete collection of interviews with experts, helpful articles, and guides, including:
A Watchtower Tragedy - the tragic story of Éloïse Dupuis, who lost her life due to the JW’s directive to refuse life-saving blood transfusions
Watchtower Society: Understanding the Jehovah’s Witnesses with Isaac Carmignani - a deep-dive into what it’s like to be a Witness, from a survivor’s perspective
From Growing Up in the Jehovah’s Witnesses to Counseling People Who Wish to Exit it with Frances Peters - the inspiring story of a brave woman who left to become a counselor helping others exit the group
Ensuring Safety in Psychedelic Therapy
Although much good has come from psychedelic therapy, there are predatory manipulators out there who will take advantage of the feelings of trust and openness inherent in the experience. In this week’s Cult, Culture & Coercion podcast, “NEST Harm Reduction: Licensed Clinicians Delivering Psychedelic‑Adjunct Care,” I spoke with Erica Siegal, a licensed clinical social worker who facilitates psychedelic sessions, about what we can do to safeguard ourselves from abuse - and what those of us who are clinicians can do to protect the clients under our care. I think you’ll find it a fascinating discussion.
Listen on Apple | Spotify | Watch on YouTube
Read my Substack post about the interview:
NEST Harm Reduction: Licensed Clinicians Delivering Psychedelic‑Adjunct Care with Erica Siegal, LCSW
As always, please let us know what you think about these pieces or what you’d like to see us discuss in the future. Thanks so much!
Dr. Hassan, you said Jan 6th for next episode? You mean February 6th right?
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